UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State men's gymnast Parker Raque (Louisville, Ky.) will serve as the Nittany Lion team captain for the 2013 season. A key contributor for Penn State throughout his first three seasons in Happy Valley, Raque will lead a squad that returns 16 letterwinners, including seven All-Americans, from last year's team that placed third at the National Collegiate Championships.

Raque, a two-time All-American, was a key in figure in Penn State's floor exercise, still rings, and vault line-ups in 2012. Owner of the team's top three scores in the floor exercise last season, including a career-high 15.800, Raque finished either first or second in the event in every regular season meet. One of the cornerstone competitors in the Nittany Lions' nationally top-ranked still rings line-up, he recorded three top finishes in the event and posted a career high score of 15.500 in a win over Minnesota. In the vault, Raque placed in the top three in nine of 10 regular season meets.

In 2011, Raque emerged as a clutch performer for Penn State at the National Collegiate Championships, setting three career highs en route to earning All-America honors in the floor exercise and vault.

Entering his senior season, Raque has compiled 47 career top three finishes, including 17 title wins.

Raque has also achieved success in the classroom. A two-time CGA Second Team All-American Athlete and a 2011 Academic All-Big Ten honoree, he contributed to the squad earning back-to-back Varsity `S' Awards, an honor presented to the Penn State men's and women's teams with the highest team GPA.

Penn State will host the 2013 National Collegiate Championships at historic Rec Hall from April 18-20. The 2013 event will mark the overall eighth time Penn State has hosted and the seventh time Rec Hall has housed the National Collegiate Men's Gymnastics Championships. When Penn State last hosted the championships, in 2007, the Nittany Lions thrilled the partisan Rec Hall crowd by capturing their NCAA-record 12th national title in come-from-behind fashion.